Nine soldiers and eight civilians have been killed in a car bomb blast near a Gendarmerie station in the southeastern Turkish town of Semdinli, local media reported. The area has seen continued fighting between Turkish forces and Kurdish militants.

The death toll from the car bomb blast has risen to 17, including nine military police and eight civilians, local governor Cuneyt Orhan Toprak said, according to Hurriyet. Twenty-seven others, including 11 soldiers, are said to be injured.

A vehicle was detonated outside a gendarmerie station in Semdinli earlier on Sunday, according to local broadcaster NTV. The blast took place during car searches that were being conducted at a checkpoint around 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the town center.

Later in the day, Turkish General Staff said in a statement cited by Haberturk TV that eight soldiers had been killed and five injured in the blast, citing the latest casualty figures available at the time.

It is yet unclear whether the attack involved a suicide bomber or a remote-controlled detonation.